converting the 2UZ-FE (V8) to LPG gas

[Jan777]

Am running a V8 Limited in Europe with benzin prices more then double of the U.S.
Decided to convert the engine to run on LPG gas, which should cut fuel expenses by app. 40%.
Decided for the Italian LOVATO system with a 90l gas bottle inside the vehicle, behind the rear seats. It's safer then a tank in the spot of the spare wheel, since the entire system is better protected inside the vehicle.
Works are going on, will post pics once I am done. Price of the works + the bottle + the gas injection system = app 1500 USD.

The system I choose is this one:
LPG systems range for all the vehicles with aspirated and injection engine - Products - EASY FAST DIRECT INJECTION ExR 8 CYLINDERS LPG | LOVATO GAS

 

[techno]

Are you going to run dual fuel, or just straight LPG?

I've run LPG on vehicles in Australia in the past. The fuel savings are great, but the conversion cost can be high and depending on how many mile/km you drive, it can take a while to recover your costs.
When it's a dual fuel set up, the increase in range you get is awesome. My old Nissan Patrol with a worked Chevy 350 that got 8 mpg still had a 400 mile range.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

What's the power gain/loss on switching to LPG and what's the overall effect on reliability and sensors?
[MENTION=9776]techno[/MENTION] what's "dual fuel" is that using LPG to "enrichen" the gasoline mixture and thus reduce fuel usage I assume?

 

[techno]

Dual fuel in this context means your vehicle has a gasoline tank and an LPG (propane) tank and you use one or the other, but not simultaneously. Older systems were manually operated and the driver chose what to run and when to switch, but many modern systems are computer controlled and can do it for you.

 

[Jan777]

choice to run engine on regular benzin or LPG gas!

Hi TECHNO and BlackWorksInc,

yes the regular fuel tank and the entire injection system remains fully intact and I can use it just as before - no change there!

LPG conversion just adds another source of fuel to the existing one and gives the driver the choice to switch between the two as he wishes.

The system consist of several elements which supply LPG gas to the injectors: electronic regulation, injectors, a sort of "carburetor" to get the LPG gas into the required temperature and of course a tank (bottle) for the gas. I chose the biggest available bottle with 90 liters which should give me a range of around 400 miles (app. 650km) on LPG.

i took quality components from LOVATO, one of the largest suppliers globally. Maintenance is easy and if the initial technical works are done properly, you just need to change filters from time to time. The technology has been around for the last 60 years, it is quiet mature and reliable!

Filling the LPG bottle is a bit different. LPG is injected with pressure into the bottle, the LPG hose connects tight to the filling hose of the tank. The nozzle is just next to the regular filler cap and invisible. Nothing too difficult once you got used to it.

I will pick up the truck tonight and post pics. This weekend I will take it for a ride to the mountains and report back on how it drives. I don't expect to feel any difference in power, I usually do not run the V8 engine on full power, normally I run it under 3000rpm. (With some exceptions when once I raced it for 400 miles with 100-120 mph, which was fun but expensive!) The V8 is an extremely tolerant engine with plenty of power reserve!

As to the total range: I run around 400 miles on a full regular tank, plus now another 400 miles on LPG, Makes a total of 800 miles! That's 1200 km - quiet good! I will, however, run it mostly on LPG, which is much cheaper!

Fuel prices in Europe differ a lot. When I drive home I cross 4 countries and pay in 3 currencies! Filling the tank in a cheap fuel station can make quiet a difference in expenses!

I should run even with the 1300 Euro expenses (app. 1500 USD) for installing the LPG system within 20k miles, which is in my case within 3-4 months!

 

[Civiceg94]

Ill be following this thread.

 

[paperchasin]

Wow $1500 conversion is awesome! I'd be in for $1500

 

[m85476585]

The ranges sound optimistic, but I guess it's reasonable if you don't drive too fast. Lots of places in the western US have 80mph or higher speed limits, which really lowers fuel economy. I thought LPG was less energy dense than gasoline?

90L is about 24 gallons, so in theory this tank could fit in about the same space as a regular gas tank if it was designed to be put there. I wonder why there are not more LPG vehicles from the factory? It seems like a superior fuel compared to gasoline since it's cleaner and cheaper (at least in Europe. I suspect in the US LPG is more expensive than gasoline for the same amount of energy).

 

[Civiceg94]

How would one from the US Place an order if we ever decide on it ?

 

[m85476585]

I just looked it up, and it takes 1.25 gallons of LPG to equal a gallon of gas. According to Wikipedia, "As of October 2013, the retail cost of propane was approximately $2.37 per gallon" so it takes about $2.96 worth of LPG to go as far as 1 gallon of gas. Right now gas is a better deal, but it is unusually cheap. A factory LPG car could have much simple emission devices, I think, so there could be some upfront savings if you could buy a vehicle that way.

 

[Jan777]

as promised: pics from the LPG system

Sharing some pics from the new LPG system. I can upload only 8 pics per message, so this is the first of two.

The system works like this: when you start the engine it runs on benzin (gasoline) until the LPG unit reaches working temperature. (Its freezing cold right now, so it takes about 5-6 minutes, otherwise its much faster).

Once working temperature is reached, the system switches automatically to LPG. This is indicated by the green light on the button, while the yellow light indicates that the engine is running on gasoline.

the pics:
1) electronic injection regulation
2) gas unit (sort of LPG carburetor)
3) LPG lines
4) LPG 90l tank in the rear of the T4R [safer than under the vehicle, particularly when riding off road]
5) this is were LPG is filled in the tank, just next to the regular nozzle and invisible
6) switch showing the engine runs on gasoline (yellow light)
7) switch showing engine runs on LPG (green light)
8) injectors left side of the engine

more to follow

 

[Jan777]

second batch of pics

The "sacrifices" I had to make: the LPG bottle in the rear of the T4R reduces space. So when on tour we cannot sleep in the T4R since the bottle is in the middle when the rear seats are pushed down. But in three years I only slept once in the T4R when we had an emergency getting stuck in shifting sand on a beach in Albania. So no big loss!

Every 10k km or I have to refill the lubricant bottle (just a few pennies) since LPG is less lubricating than regular benzin the engine needs an additional source for lubrication when running on LPG. Its regulated electronically.

Otherwise the system runs smooth, did not notice any loss of power. But have to monitor it for a few thousand miles.

The pics:
1) LPG injectors right side
2) lubricant container with electronic regulation
3) lubricant bottle
4) regulator on top of LPG tank

 

[Jan777]

first 500km (350 miles)

First driving experience on LPG:
a) no noticeable power loss, acceleration, top speed, just the same
b) fuel expenses reduced by 35-40% (European prices & taxes)
c) range: I have a 90l tank/bottle for LPG, initially the automatic limitation was set very low and clicked off at only 45l filling, this was adjusted and now I get 80 l in (the rest of 10l needs to stay empty to allow for expansion of the gas), so that gives me a range of around 500km (350 miles) a bit less than the 400 miles I expected but still fine.

Overall: very happy with the system and the savings on fuel expenses!

 

[Jan777]

first 1000 miles (1600km)

Fuel economy for the last 1000 miles with LPG calculated on the base of fuel price:

My fuel expenses with LPG I are now equivalent to a fuel efficiency on benzin of 28mpg (9l/100km)!

Calculation based on European fuel prices: 1.20 Euro for 1l Benzin, and 0,60 for 1l of LPG.

Very happy about that! Fuel expenses of a mid-size car, on a SUV with AWD! Great! Was worth the investment!

 

[4RunnerTime]

This is amazing. I just wanted to check in a few years later to see how this lasted long term for you?